Cassadee Pope, ‘Summer’ [Listen]

Cassadee Pope’s nostalgic love song “Summer” finds the singer a bit misty-eyed in remembering a one-time flame. It’s the phrasing during her chorus and throw-back references that allow this song to stand out, however.

A band like Sublime instantly recalls summers lost to innocence. Maybe it's because the singer died, or maybe it's because the rock band's music is a perfect soundtrack for the recklessness of youth. It's a stretch to say they influenced "Summer," but Pope is certainly at her most carefree. Her storytelling is honest.

Vocally, the native Floridian gets to show off during a soaring final chorus. It's a default setting for a singer still trying to prove herself in country music, one that doesn't necessarily match the laid-back vibe of her memory — but when you can sing like that, does it matter? Fans can relate to summer, much like they did Keith Urban's "Til Summer Comes Around" several years ago, and Deana Carter's "Strawberry Wine" a decade before that.

Did You Know?: The video for this song was filmed on Clearwater Beach. Pope tweaked the lyrics to reflect the location of filming.

Listen to Cassadee Pope, “Summer”

Watch: How Chris Young Influenced 'Summer'

Cassadee Pope, “Summer” Lyrics:

“Rolled in as wild and free / As a Clearwater Beach at seventeen memory / Eyes blue as the July sky / Sent shivers down my spine every time that he’d smile at me / The way he took off that white t-shirt / The way he looked walkin’ out of that water / And it just got hotter, and hotter.”

Chorus:“The tan lines fadin’ on my sun-kissed skin / Hits me like a wave when I think about it / Sublime on the boombox / Our bare feet in the sand / Makin’ out on the boardwalk / My heart on fire in his hands, yeah / He drove away the first of September / But I remember, yeah / I remember / He talked like, and he walked like and he looked like, and he burned like Summer, summer / Ooh, ooh / And he burned like summer, summer / Ooh, ooh.”

“His kiss was a sweet salt breeze / Had a hold on me / Like the moon pulls a tide / Took me up on the Ferris Wheel / And I swear it feels like I never came down from the high / I know he never said forever / But somethin’ ‘bout it felt like it would never end.”